Phosphorus-fertilisation has differential effects on leaf growth and photosynthetic capacity of Arachis hypogaea L

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 447; no. 1-2; pp. 99 - 116
• Main Authors: Shi, Qingwen, Pang, Jiayin, Yong, Jean Wan Hong, Bai, Chunming, Pereira, Caio Guilherme, Song, Qiaobo, Wu, Di, Dong, Qiping, Cheng, Xin, Wang, Feng, Zheng, Junlin, Liu, Yifei, Lambers, Hans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural Science; Analysis; Arachis hypogaea; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chlorophyll; Cultivars; Data processing; Dry matter; Ecology; Fertilization; Fluorescence; Food Science; Groundnuts; Jordbruksvetenskap; Leaves; Legumes; Life Sciences; Livsmedelsvetenskap; Parameters; Peanuts; Phosphorus; Photosynthesis; Photosystem II; Phytochemistry; Plant Biotechnology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Principal components analysis; Production methods; Regular Article; Seedlings; Soil Science & Conservation; Supplies; Tradeoffs; Växtbioteknologi; Canada; China; Germany; Peanut; Phosphorus; Suboptimal; Supraoptimal; Photosynthesis
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/s11104-019-04041-w

Aims The objectives of this study were to assess how Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut or groundnut) responds to different P supplies in terms of growth and photosynthesis, and to determine the optimum P supply and differential P stress thresholds. Methods We investigated biomass production, leaf expansion, photosynthetic parameters, relative chlorophyll concentration, P700 parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence in a climate-controlled chamber at different P supplies (0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mM). Results Both deficient and excessive exogenous P supplies significantly reduced leaf growth, relative chlorophyll concentration and dry matter production in two high-yielding peanut cultivars. The optimum P range was 0.8–1.1 mM for peanut seedlings. Through principal component analysis (PCA) and data fitting, we found that the trade-off of the normalised actual quantum yield [Y(II)] and non-regulatory quantum yield [Y(NO)] in photosystem II (PSII) under light is one of the best proxies to determine the suboptimal, supraoptimal, deficient and toxic P supplies, because they are the two key factors with major positive and negative effects of PC1, accounting for 75.5% of the variability. The suboptimal P range was 0.41–0.8 mM and the supraoptimal P range was 1.1–1.72 mM. The suboptimal P supplies corresponded with a leaf P concentration range of 4.8–8.1 mg P g −1 DW, while the supraoptimal P supplies corresponded with a leaf P concentration range of 9.9–12.2 mg P g −1 DW. Conclusions Both deficient and toxic P levels severely inhibited leaf growth and photosynthesis of peanut, and these unfavourable conditions were associated with significant reduction of biomass and photosynthesis, and photodamage extending beyond PSII. The trade-off of the normalised Y(II) and Y(NO) is a useful benchmark to demarcate deficient, suboptimal, supraoptimal and toxic P-fertilisations levels in A. hypogaea .